Core Value #1

Together with the Leadership Team at First Christian Church in Monroe, I am working to clarify our mission and our core values so our entire church family can be unified around what it is we are trying to do and how we are going to do it. The process isn't finished yet, but with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I am convinced that we will align the activity of OUR church with the mission Christ gave to HIS church.

Over the next few days, I am going to post a series of four short blogs, each one centered around one of the core values that will define the activity of our church and help us accomplish our mission.

For a community of believers to accomplish what God has called them to do, they must first determine their mission. They all need to clearly understand that Christ commissioned his church to MAKE DISCIPLES (Matthew 28:18-20 & Acts 1:8). To accomplish this mission, the leadership of FCC is narrowing its focus down to a set of "core values" that will clearly define what we believe are the keys to success. There are a lot of "good" things a church can do, but we are focused on these four things.

CORE VALUE #1 - "Teaching God's Word"

Seems pretty obvious, right? What else can be more important when trying to make disciples than to teach God's Word? Sadly, this isn't quite as obvious as you might think. Sure, churches spend A LOT of time talking about God's Word. They present passages and concepts from scripture each Sunday morning. They talk about the Bible as the "guide" to their lives and teach the kids to treat the book with respect. But I see a level of Biblical illiteracy in most church-goers that is frightening. Church leaders are TALKING about God's Word, but many people simply are not digging in to God's Word with a hunger and thirst that defines their daily life.

Hebrews 4:12 (one of my favorites) says..."For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." In other words, scripture changes everything! It has a transforming power that cannot be explained. God's Word comes with a companion called the Holy Spirit. Each time you dig into scripture, the very Spirit of God speaks directly into your heart. It is powerful and it changes you fundamentally forever!

For many church-goers, allowing the Pastor to share what the Spirit of God has said to him once a week is enough. They are content with a challenging, or at least entertaining message each Sunday. They simply do not realize that the Holy Spirit of God has a specific and direct message for them if they will dig into God's Word on their own. Hearing a good message on Sunday is a good thing, but it can never replace what God wants to say to you directly!

Once a person has experienced the transforming power of scripture in their own personal life, it changes everything. Bible study turns from being a mundane and confusing exercise in futility into an exciting and life-changing mystery. They simply cannot wait until they get to do it again. It becomes a part of their daily life and they would never want to go through a day without it.

At FCC, our Leadership Team wants to see TEACHING GOD'S WORD become more than something we talk about and preach about. We want to teach every person we come in contact with just how powerful and amazing God's Word really is. We want to teach them how to study the Bible and how to understand it. We want to give them tools for developing daily Bible Study habits. We want to give people arenas where they can discuss what they are studying with other believers and share what God's Spirit is saying to them through scripture.

If we want to make disciples, it MUST begin with teaching God's Word. When a person is confronted with the truth and the power of scripture, transformation is the only possible result.

Core Value #2 flows from the first one. It is also a critical key to our church accomplishing its mission to make disciples. But you will have to wait until my next post to see what that is all about!